Residue in strut left by bearings

[dpickett]

I'm replacing my v drive, shaft, shaft seal, and bearings in my 2000 21V. After taking out the old brass/rubber cutlass bearings, there was residue left. It's so thick that it compressed the new Glide bearings to the point that I couldn't get the shaft through. The residue is pink and smooth (unlike the surface of the strut which is a bit rough). I can see and feel a lip where the residue ends 2 inches into the strut. I'll need to get it out or replace the strut. Anyone had this before? Any idea how to remove it? Pic attached.

[boatwakes]

Show a pic of the old bearings if you still have them. There should not be anything leftover in the barrel of the strut so if there is, it's wither the bearing outer tube or someone used adhesive when installing the previous set. Did you watch the video on how to cut out the old bearings?

[dpickett]

I tossed the old bearings unfortunately. They were the old brass and rubber ones, and the brass tube did come out. I watched a video on youtube on how to do it. Was able to get them out by cutting them with a small hacksaw and then hitting them with a chisel & hammer. It's possible it's adhesive that has hardened over time. I have hit the lip of the residue (that is 2" into the strut) with a chisel and hammer, and it doesn't move. Seems really hard. I'm going to try a Dremel tonight.

[boatwakes]

Before you do that, what size bearings did you order from Glide? There are 2 sizes available for 1 1/8" shafts: 1.25 OD and 1.375 OD and if you got the larger, it will do what you're describing and crush the inner diameter. Measure with dial calipers to be certain but the NEW bearings should be 1.25" outer diameter and if they're not, they're incorrect.

But, so I understand correctly, you are seeing a lip and residue approximately 2" inside the strut? These struts utilize 2 individual cutlass bearings which must be installed separately from the front and rear of the strut with an un-machined portion of bronze in the midsection of the strut. From the photograph you posted, it appears the midsection shown is the un-machined portion of bronze previously mentioned. The "pinkish" hue is most likely due to an underwater metal phenomenon called electrolysis (sorry if you already know what that is but I'm unsure of your marine knowledge and want anyone else reading to understand what it is) and caused by stray electrical current from the boat, a dock or other vessels within a few feet and occurs over time. Bronze and brass are not supposed to be in contact with one another for long periods of time when submerged in an electrolyte (water) and will cause severe electrolysis to plumbing systems, struts, rudders and props if not properly bonded (reading for another time). So if the previous bearings were brass and we know the strut is bronze, putting the boat in the water in this condition develops immediate electrolysis issues.

Start with measuring the inside diameter of the strut and comparing that to the outside diameter of the Glide bearings and then lets go from there.

[dpickett]

Thanks. I didn't consider that I may have ordered the wrong size. I did indeed get the 1.375" OD. I measured again (don't have calipers) with a tape measure, and it seems like the inner diameter of the strut is 1.375". Maybe I need to get some calipers to measure more accurately? I've posted a pic. I'll give Tige a call tomorrow to see if they can confirm I messed up by ordering the wrong one.

Makes sense the residue would be from electrolysis. The residue covers the first two inches on the front and back of the inside of the strut (where the old bearings were). Guess that makes the Glide plastic ones a better idea.

[boatwakes]

It's also entirely possible the strut has been replaced before which is why it is critical to measure the strut installed vs what Tige ships from the factory. Amazon has cheap *** calipers that can help here too but it's important to get the strut ID and go from there. It is also possible Glide sent the wrong OD bearings so again, measure everything first and then move forward.

[dpickett]

Bought some calipers from HD and confirmed that the ID of the strut is 1.375". I also emailed pics of the strut to Marine Hardware and they confirmed it's the stock one, and the correct bearing size is 1.125 x 1.375 x 2. Checked the bearings I got from Glide and they are that size. Only thing I can figure is the residue is causing the issue. I bought a grinding bit from HD and put it on my drill. It is shaving it down, but slowly. Ran out of light and battery power in my drill. Going to do more tomorrow. One challenge is if I take off too much of the inside of the strut, the bearings will be loose in the strut, but if I don't take off enough they will be compressed. Figured I'll just grind until I can't feel the lip at the point the residue ends.

[boatwakes]

Get some muriatic acid and see if it boils it away. DO NOT INHALE ITS VAPORS!!! The acid will melt you from the inside out so if you have a chemical respirator, use it. I'd be curious to see if takes care of it. The bronze will remain unaffected by it.

[boatwakes]

Where we at on this?

[dpickett]

Making slow progress. I decided not to go with the acid...just seems like too much risk. I've been grinding away at the inside of the strut with a Dremel like tool attached to my drill. Moving really slow despite going at it for several hours. I can only squeeze in about an hour a day after work, and it's exhausting holding the drill in place for that long anyway.

I think I'm getting close. I orginally installed the new Glide bearings and since the shaft was stuck, I removed them. They got messed up removing them, so I ordered a new set. I'm sliding the old set in to the strut (in between grinding) to test to see if the shaft will slide through. Once it does, I'll install the new bearings. It's getting easier to get the shaft part way through, just not all the way there.

I emailed a couple of guys from Tige, and they said I should replace the strut. No surprise. That's obviously a better solution, except I've already spent $4k on parts and the strut is another $600. Will see if I can get it to the old one to work first.

[dpickett]

How hard should it be to put the shaft through the bearings? No resistance? A little? Pushing hard?

[h2o-ski]

It should not take too much resistance to get the shaft through the bearings. Although the best measurement is the resistance to rotation once you get the shaft in the strut bearings.

[dpickett]

Great, thanks. I decided to order a new strut from Marine Hardware. If anyone has any tips in installing a strut, I'm all ears. The guy from Marine Hardware said to use some marine sealant to seal it on installing....that's the only instructions I have to go on.

[boatwakes]

Remove the old strut sealant with a product called De-bond to degrade and remove the silicone. Scrape away and clean all underwater gelcoat surfaces with sealant on them in the strut area and wipe with acetone prior to installation. Dry fit the unit and install the shaft so it's centered in the hull penetration (use some wadded up pieces of cardboard or paper towel to center it in the stern tube) and then mark the hull with a sharpie around each corner of the strut base to ensure it's in the correct position when you final install it. Use 3M 4200 fast cure sparingly around the perimeter of the base before you bed the strut permanently and coat the lower through-bolt threads near the head with it before you install each one. Put sealant on the inside of the hull at the bolt holes around the bolt threads AFTER the bolts are installed from below (this is a two person job with 2 tubes of sealant and many rubber gloves, you don't want this stuff to touch your skin or you'll end up with it in your b-hole). Torque the nuts down to a reasonable amount and then install the shaft again to make sure it sits evenly in the stern tube. Once verified the shaft is centered, torque the nuts to approximately 25 lb/ft. Clean up excess sealant with paper towels and acetone.

Basically think about it as you want to apply sealant anywhere water can get into the hull. You want to keep the hull fiberglass dry and never allow it to see water or it will begin to delaminate.

[dpickett]

Thanks. A few questions...

What do I do if the shaft doesn't line up in the center of the stern tube when I dry fit it?

I've got some 3M 5200...guessing the 4200 is better to use in case it needs to be repaired again in the future? Or is 5200 okay?

On the inside of the boat, I'm putting sealant around the bolt on the hull. Once I put the washer on, that will essentially be glued in place. Is that right? Just want to make sure I'm putting it in the right place.